We have been very lucky to have a very special person supporting our Sunnyvale School District children for many years and wanted to thank her publicly for her dedication to meeting the immediate needs of Sunnyvale students, staff, and families. Bridget Watson, a current school board member, and former Sunnyvale School District teacher stepped up immediately when staff and students were sent home without warning in mid-March of this year due to the pandemic and she hasn’t stopped supporting the Sunnyvale Community since that time.
When the pandemic hit, she immediately stepped up to help support the Sunnyvale School Districts’ food distribution program for students on free and reduced lunch by organizing a paper bag collection drive from the community to use for distributing meals to Sunnyvale families. And when she heard that masks were needed for Sunnyvale families, she and her friends collected, washed, ironed, individually packaged, and distributed almost 800 masks from the community sewers (moms, teens, dads, grandparents, neighbors, online groups, etc.) to make it a community event! When Sunnyvale’s HomeFirst Shelter needed support, she immediately heard what they needed and found ways to get items to those residents as well.
Bridget has set an example for all of us to put others first and we are grateful for her ability to not only help personally with meeting the needs of those most affected by the pandemic and other hardships but also for using her leadership skills to rally dozens of people in our community to help her with her causes. Bridget is a nominee for next year’s Sunnyvale Citizen of the Year because of all that she has done to make our community unified and we want to thank her for setting an example of selflessness at a time when many are in need. We appreciate you, Bridget, and are so lucky to have you in the Sunnyvale community!
Article submitted by Kimberly Moya. If you have a special shout out or kudos you would like to give to someone for having gone above and beyond during the pandemic, please email alia.wilson@sesd.org.
Hello!
I could not agree more! Bridget has a heart of gold and whenever she sees a need, she is right there to help. When her children were in the Sunnyvale school system she created organic gardens in front of each of the classrooms as well as the open area. She was able to promote her vision with other parents to get involved. She and her husband donated and installed sprinkler systems, flower beds and charming walkways with the Peter the Rabbit theme. She has used her amazing creativity for the school fundraisers and also led the efforts for Teacher Appreciation at the Sunnyvale Schools. Her mission has been to instill the love of learning in children’s hearts and minds . Bridget supports her colleagues, collaborates, inspires and leads by example. I was moved by her actions to deliver the meals to the homeless children and as an extra surprise for them included a gift – little packages of puzzles, games, and fun things for them during the Covid crisis which she was able to do with her network of people who wanted to participate.
There is a much longer list of how she has touched the lives of so many people. She loves her community, her family, and truly makes a difference in our world.
I respect and honor her and the gifts that fuel our hearts with hope and love.
Respectfully,
Donna Hamilton – Bridget’s Mother